Aubree looked at Sonya with teary eyes, and with a pitiful expression, she replied, “But Lucian blamed me for not taking good care of Essie and asked me to leave. I didn’t want to stay and be a burden to him because he was already anxious enough.”
In fact, Sonya had only heard about the incident from Aubree briefly over the phone, learning that Estella had run out because Aubree did not take good care of her. However, she did not know much about the details.
As such, she did not understand why her son would flare up at Aubree because of that. “What exactly happened? Why did Essie suddenly run away?”
Aubree looked down and sounded as if she was on the verge of bursting into tears as she replied, “When I reached the hotel, I found out that Lucian and Roxanne were staying in the same room as there were not enough rooms. I wanted to check if the hotel could make any alternate arrangements.”
The woman paused and glanced up briefly to look at Sonya’s reaction before lowering her head and continuing, “So I told him that I would check with the reception if there were any rooms that were freed up. After I entered the elevator, Essie suddenly followed me inside. I had no idea what she wanted and did not expect her to dash out of the elevator the moment the doors opened. I was stunned for a moment and wasn’t able to react in time…”
Sonya’s expression darkened. She had guessed that her granddaughter did not want to leave Roxanne.
What spell did that woman cast on Essie? Even if they are mother and daughter, Roxanne has not taken care of Essie ever since she was born. Why is Essie so attached to her?
Besides… When Sonya recalled Aubree’s words from before, she furrowed her brows and asked, “Lucian and Roxanne were staying in the same room?”
Aubree nodded, looking aggrieved, and replied, “There wasn’t anything I could say since the hotel didn’t have any spare rooms, but it wasn’t very appropriate for them to stay together. That’s why I wanted to check with the front desk if it was possible to make alternate arrangements. I didn’t expect Essie to be so mad over that. It’s my fault for my lack of consideration.”
Sonya invited Aubree into the living room and said with a grim expression, “It’s not your fault. You did the right thing. The two of you are getting engaged soon. Lucian shouldn’t have stayed with Roxanne in the same room!”
“But if that did not happen, Essie wouldn’t have run away…” Aubree said between tears. “It’s already so late and there still isn’t any news yet. I’m really worried that something would happen to Essie. She’s still so young… If something bad happens to her, I will never be able to forgive myself!”
At the mention of her granddaughter, Sonya felt her heart sink. However, instead of blaming Aubree for it like before, she started comforting the woman instead. “Don’t worry. Lucian is looking for her. Essie will be fine.”
Aubree sobbed while replying, “Essie is missing because I didn’t take good care of her. I’m scared that Lucian wouldn’t forgive me for that. He was so furious earlier on that I thought…”
She had thought that Lucian would hit her, just like before, but the man did not.
However, Aubree did not assume that it was because he wasn’t as angry as before. Instead, she knew that it was probably because he could no longer be bothered with her.
Sonya frowned and replied, “That won’t happen. It’s not even your fault this time. He’ll realize it after he calms down.”
After the meal, Lucian told Cayden to send Archie and Benny back home to rest while he stayed in the ward with Roxanne so they could both keep Estella company.
Roxanne couldn’t bear to leave the little girl alone in the ward. Estella was still afraid and refused to release her grip on the corner of Roxanne’s clothes.
Roxanne felt guilty at the sight of Estella’s pale face. She caressed Estella’s cheek and apologized, “I shouldn’t have rejected you this afternoon. I’m really sorry.”
Estella shook her head silently.
The guilt in Roxanne’s heart remained, and she looked downcast.
Regret had overwhelmed her when she learned of Estella’s disappearance.
Now that she knew that Estella was emotionally affected by the incident, she got so heavy-hearted that she could barely breathe.
“It has nothing to do with you.” Lucian’s brows knitted together when he heard her blaming herself.
Roxanne forced out a smile and glanced at him without a word.
She had experienced losing her child, so there was no way Lucian could understand her feelings.
As she didn’t seem reassured by his words, Lucian fell silent for a few moments before saying, “If you say so, then it’s all my fault.”
Hearing that, Roxanne shot him a confused look.
Estella pursed her lips and glared at Lucian.
Lucian met their gazes solemnly and walked toward the bed. He stopped beside Estella and said, “I should’ve stopped Essie in time. It was my fault; I didn’t take good care of her.”
Seemingly displeased, Estella whipped her head away. Her cheeks were puffed up, and she refused to meet his gaze.
Lucian’s brows snapped together. “I knew Essie was upset. I should’ve said no to Aubree’s suggestion. If I had done that, Essie wouldn’t have run away recklessly.”
He knew Estella hated Aubree but didn’t reject her advance, so it was his fault.
Estella whipped her head around and shot him a satisfied look.
It was clear to Roxanne that he was trying to console her, and she had to admit that he should be shouldering most of the responsibility.
Estella was his daughter, but he had failed to take care of her and had caused her to suffer.
Recalling Lucian’s negligence when he took care of Estella previously, Roxanne felt that he was indeed a careless father.
I wonder how much Essie has suffered over the years.
Lucian didn’t know what she was thinking. He heaved a sigh of relief when he noticed her guilty expression fading a little.
Before he could say anything else to divert their attention, his phone rang suddenly.
He glanced at his phone and saw that it was a call from his mother.
A deep line appeared in the middle of Lucian’s brow as he answered the call.
“How’s Essie doing?” Sonya asked anxiously. After learning that Estella had been admitted to the hospital, she wanted to visit Estella and also defend Aubree.
Glancing at the bed, Lucian responded, “She has regained consciousness. She’s fine, so you should go to bed. I’ll bring her back home tomorrow morning.”
Sonya was about to insist when Lucian added, “Essie is traumatized. She needs to sleep now. You should leave her to rest.”
Sonya had no choice but to cave in.
After the call ended, Roxanne and Lucian stopped talking about Estella’s disappearance as if they had reached a tacit agreement. Roxanne started chatting with Estella gently.
Alas, no matter what Roxanne said, Estella refused to say a word and would only nod or shake her head.
Roxanne was exhausted by the time she managed to put Estella to bed after reading the little girl a bedtime story.
Estella gripped the corner of her clothes and refused to let go, so Roxanne got herself a chair and fell asleep on the edge of the bed.
The following day, Roxanne woke up and realized there was a coat draped over her body.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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